Ashburton Courier: August 13, 2020

www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz
NEWS
Ashburton Courier, August 13, 2020
5
Bowlers win battle to stay in domain
LINDA.CLARKE
@ashburtoncourier.co.nz
The Ashburton Bowling Club
has won its battle to stay in the
Ashburton Domain.
A30­year development plan
had proposed moving it to make
way for acentral hub for all
domain users, but club
members and supporters
rallied in opposition. They
were among 164 people to make
submissions on the plan, which
is aliving document regularly
reviewed.
Ashburton District
councillors hearing the
submissions this week were
almost unanimously in favour
of the bowling club staying
where it is in the centre of the
domain and the planned hub,
which is more like acovered
outdoor eating and meeting
space, being created on the
western side of the existing
playground and anew water
play area, where aBBQ now
sits.
Cr Leen Braam, alandscape
architect, backed the architects
of the development plan and
said the bowling club land was
anatural centre for the domain.
He said the plan needed to be
visionary.
But other councillors
disagreed and said relocating
the proposed hub was the best
way forward for all parties.
They also said they wanted the
bowling club to be part of the
domain and suggested its high
solid fences be replaced with
‘‘see­through’’ alternatives so
players and the greens could be
seen.
Other projects in the
development plan include a
new in and out access road from
Walnut Avenue, likely to
happen when NZTA puts in
new traffic lights at the
intersection of the avenue and
State Highway 1(West Street).
The aviary, old and tired,
seems destined to go in favour
of bees and butterflies.
Council’s current parks depot
will be reduced and anew car
park created near the West
Street entrance, which will be
left in and left out only.
Councillors spent aday
working through public
submissions and their
preferences will now be worked
into afinal draft development
plan that will go to the
community services committee
on August 27, then to full
council for approval.
Balancing ratepayers’
expectations for the space was
abig job.
Jo Ryk, abowler, said the
Ashburton club had been there
for over 120 years and the
greens and facilities coveted by
others. There was no money to
relocate the clubrooms and
develop new greens elsewhere.
He asked for a10­year
extension on their current
lease from 2028 to 2038.
The club presented apetition
with over 1000 names (650
online and 412 on paper) to
support its stance.
Former district councillor
Robin Kilworth, who lived on
Walnut Avenue across from the
domain, said council needed to
protect the park and make sure
new development did not creep
on to existing open space.
She was against the
development of too many
footpaths, including one
running the length of domain to
be called Walnut Avenue
promenade.
She said it was hard planning
for future uses, as even the
existing tennis courts and
hockey turf had not been
foreseen 30 years out.
The domain was planned
when Ashburton town was first
laid out in 1864. Seeking
feedback for the current
development plan, council
asked for inspirational, bold
and visionary ideas.
Aswag of other
improvements have been
proposed, some aimed at better
linking the CBD and the
southern corner of the domain.
Apedestrian crossing over SH1
at Wills Street and apedestrian
bridge over the highway were
suggested.
There were also requests
from submitters to reinstate the
flying fox, which was
dismantled early March.
Another asked for council to
cull some of the pigeons, who
were leaving excrement; he
called them ‘‘flying rats’’.
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